This invention relates generally to valves, and more particularly to a valve having a spool-type resilient cap and a linear, spring biased actuator.
There are many valves of this general type, as shown for example by U.S. Pat. Nos. 591,228 and 4,497,468.
There is a need for a valve which, while attached to a surgical instrument such as an irrigation/aspiration probe, can be operated with one hand. Instruments such as probes are typically provided with stopcocks, which require two hands to operate, and do not close automatically.
Ergonomically, it is desirable for a valve to be mounted at right angles to a probe, and to attach to a standard medical luer taper.
For safety reasons, it is also desirable for the connection to be in-line with the applied activation force. The valve shown in U.S. Pat. No. 491,228, for instance, would require an elbow for attachment as described above. The elbow would create a bending moment, and a resulting potential for breakage, particularly if the valve were made of plastic.
It is also desirable to avoid placing a return spring within the fluid flowpath, and to provide a design that permits in-line vertical assembly of components without gluing or welding, to facilitate high volume, low cost production.